


Odaiba

by wahueue



Series: There's Always Sunshine in Numazu Cinematic Universe [2]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! Sunshine!!, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: Comedy, Crack, Gen, Swearing, kinda OOC, tokyo basic bitch alert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wahueue/pseuds/wahueue
Summary: The misadventures of the girls of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. Sometimes friends, sometimes rivals, they're actually all really close, and they don't hate each other as much as you'd think. However, I never said that they don't at least somewhat dislike each other.Sequel series to "There's Always Sunshine in Numazu". It's not as bad as that one, I promise.Formerly titled "It's Always Bright in Odaiba".Uploaded 5/15/2020
Series: There's Always Sunshine in Numazu Cinematic Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540834
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	1. Game Night: Staring Contest

**Author's Note:**

> join the official love live idol fanfic hell discord server! meet other fic writers and readers! casually chat about how much you want to fuck [insert character]! take the piss! procrastinate as you attempt to write a fic and never succeed until four months later! its amazing
> 
> https://discord.gg/R43Vc3X

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls throw down in a staring contest to become the ultimate idol, or whatever.

**3:20 PM - Friday - Nijigasaki Academy - Odaiba, Tokyo**

It was a sunny day in Tokyo, but that's not what we're here to discuss.

The ten (that's right, not nine, _ten_ ) members of the official Nijigasaki High School Idol Club entered the official clubroom of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.

"Okay." Ayumu slammed her palm on the table. "First, rules."

Shizuku put her hand up.

Ayumu pointed at Shizuku. "Yes, Shizuku?"

"Did that hurt, hitting the table with your hand like that?" Shizuku pointed at Ayumu's right hand, her palm now red.

Ayumu rubbed her hand. "Yes. Yes it did." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, Yu, rules."

"I don't have them," Yu replied.

"Oh. Right." Ayumu got a small elementary school notebook from her school bag. It was marked "NIJIGASAKI HIGH SCHOOL IDOL CLUB RULES" in bright red marker on the front. She opened it, flipped to the "Staring Contest Rules", and read.

* * *

Rule 1: No blinking.

Rule 2: No beating the shit out of each other.

Rule 3: No physically making people blink.

Rule 4: You can call for a timeout, but only once per person, and we have to vote on it.

Rule 5: No trying to jump out the window if you lose.

Rule 6: No music or loud sounds or videos, you dick.

Rule 7: You can try to sabotage people to make them blink, but don't overdo it.

Rule 8: No getting out of your seat.

Rule 9: If we do a vote, you have to vote or you're excommunicated.

Rule 10: If you lose, you can't sit where we're sitting.

* * *

Ayumu turned the page. "Now for individual rules." She cleared her throat again.

* * *

Kasumi: No verbal abuse, no kicking, no blackmail, no threats, no screaming, no calling timeout just to blink, no stealing people's money, no pulling people's skirts, no taking people's shoes, no climbing onto the table, no playing the tsunami alert sound "for a project", no pre-game sabotage, no making up rules,

Shizuku: You can't make deals with other people, and if you have to, please don't try to make a blood deal.

Rina: If you set your headset to never blink like you did last time, we're going to break it.

Yu: Don't even consider groping people when they lose. We know you've never done this, but you've mentioned it once before.

Ayumu: No bending the rules to win.

Setsuna: No running away when you lose.

Ai: No winking, because that's still technically blinking. We all know you wink with each eye.

Karin: No flashing people or doing any sexual motions, because if you do that again, we're all going to break Rule 2 on you.

Kanata: Closing your eyes means you automatically lose. Also, nobody cares that a suburb of Ottawa is named after you; it very clearly wasn't, so please stop using that as an "excuse" when you lose.

Emma: Please don't promise to give people your "Swiss motherly love and care" if they lose for you, because that's more disturbing than it is hot.

* * *

Ayumu shut the rule book. "Any concerns?"

Karin raised her hand. "I've never flashed you guys."

"But you did do that weird suggestive thing with your fingers," Ayumu reminded.

Karin sighed. "True."

"Anyone else?" Ayumu queried.

Setsuna raised her hand. "Does Rina get to keep the headset board thingy?"

"No." Ayumu approached Rina, who was wearing the board like a mask, with a strap around her head. "Rina, take it off."

Rina shook her head (it was adorable, trust me), so Ayumu began violently trying to pull the board off Rina's face (it was adorable, trust me). Rina began screaming, so Ai had to step in and very calmly ask her to take the board off. Rina said that it was too late for that because she was already horrified, so she wasn't going to take the board off. She elected to wear the headset though, provided it could register blinking.

The girls pulled up some chairs. They all stared at each other with determined faces.

"Girls..." Yu started, her hand reaching into her back pocket. "...It's Friday."

Within half a second, everyone slammed 2,500 yen onto the table. That's $25 if you drive on the right. Emma slammed 23 Swiss franc on the table, which is roughly 2,500 yen if you drive on the left.

In total, that's ¥25,000. That's $250 if you drive on the right.

They then immediately sat down.

It was on.

* * *

**3:23 PM**

**3 minutes**

**Kasumi - Shizuku - Rina - Yu - Ayumu**

**Setsuna - Ai - Kanata - Karin - Emma**

* * *

A fire engine blazed past the school, its siren blaring. It did not faze anyone.

Kanata yawned. Her eyes were still wide open, and she was viciously staring down Karin. It was terrifying.

"Hey. Kanata." Kasumi kicked at the air. "Kanata. Kanata. Kanata."

"Mhm?" Kanata rested her head on her trusty pillow.

"Wanna count sheep? I'll start." Kasumi cleared her throat. "Ooone. Twooo. Threee. Fooour. Fiiive. Siiix. Seven. Eeeight. Niiine..."

"Ohoho, shit." Ai chuckled under her breath.

Kanata was unfazed. She smirked. "Counting sheep is for basic bitches. Kasu."

Kasumi suddenly got super flustered. She struggled to smirk. "F-fuck you! Don't call me that!"

"Kasu." Yu poked Kasumi's cheek. "Kasu. Kasu."

"Fuck you! Y-you guys fucking suck!" Kasu whimpered.

Everyone else began chanting "Kasu". Kasumi actually began crying, but with her eyes wide open, which probably hurt a lot.

Eventually, Kasumi blinked.

Ayumu stood up, pointed at Kasumi, and screamed "OHHH", prompting everyone else to sort of do the same thing.

Of course, Kasumi attempted to break Rule 5, but the windows were locked, so she just sat down in a corner and whined a lot.

"She looks like if she was a bug, she'd have pincers," Setsuna remarked. Emma nudged her, because that was mean, and it crossed a line.

Yu moved Kasumi's yen to the middle of the table. The game continued.

* * *

**3:26 PM**

**6 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- Shizuku - Rina - Yu - Ayumu**

**Setsuna - Ai - Kanata - Karin - Emma**

* * *

"Hey, Shizuku." Ai cracked her knuckles, because she can do that. "Tell me about your, uh..."

Shizuku cocked her head sideways. "My, uh, what?"

"Your dog." Ai tried to remember its name. "Uh, Orphelia, or something."

Shizuku frowned. "It's _Ophelia_. Have I not told you about her?"

The thing about Shizuku is that she's really fond of Ophelia. And, for someone who usually tries to be responsible and kept to herself, wow, she likes to talk about Ophelia.

If you mentioned dogs, she would mention Ophelia. If you mentioned parks, she would mention Ophelia. If you asked her for a cup of water, she would mention Ophelia.

Watch this.

"Okay. So, Ophelia is my dog. She's a golden retriever, and she's 1 year old. That's 15 human years! She's pretty much my age! Anyways, I got her when I was five. She's pretty much like my sibling, y'know? I taught her things, and she taught me things, too! I take her on walks, run around with her, and sometimes play fetch with her. She doesn't like branches or bones that much. She prefers chew toys, like this one I got her that looks like a mouse. I don't know why she likes it so much, but-"

"Shizuku, you blinked seven times during that," Rina noted.

"You counted?" Karin asked. Rina nodded.

Shizuku pouted. "Aw. Oh well." She ran over to her school bag, brought out a textbook, and sat down at the door.

Everyone looked at her. She looked back.

"Oh. Right." She got up, went back to the table, moved her yen to the middle with Kasumi's, bowed, and sat back down.

The room was filled with awkward silence, other than the sound of Kasumi rolling back and forth on the floor.

"...Did anyone else think that was weird?" Setsuna inquired.

* * *

**3:28 PM**

**8 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- ~~Shizuku~~ \- Rina - Yu - Ayumu**

**Setsuna - Ai - Kanata - Karin - Emma**

* * *

Kanata was asleep.

"Oh, my." Emma ran her hand through Kanata's hair as she moved Kanata's yen coins into the middle, one-by-one. Weird, but okay.

It was when she carefully moved Kanata to her lap that everyone became somewhat concerned.

"Do you guys bang?" Kasumi asked from across the room.

Emma scowled. "What an inappropriate question to ask, Kasumin! Kanata just enjoys my lap pillow. I don't know why." She ran her hand through Kanata's hair again.

"Just asking, because I wouldn't pass you up," Kasumi called out, somehow further than she was before.

"Yeah, none of us would pass you up," Yu remarked.

Emma blushed. "And why is that?"

Everyone simultaneously pointed at Emma's "Emmas". Funny boob joke.

Emma blushed even more and looked to the side in contempt. "Pah. Rude."

She closed her eyes while doing so.

Rina got up, pointed at Emma, and emitted a loud screech that _sort of_ sounded like a Pokemon cry.

Emma sighed, moved her franc to the middle, and didn't move.

Ai tapped Emma's shoulder. "Emma, you can't sit here."

Emma gestured to Kanata, who was sound asleep.

Ai sighed. "Timeout so we can get Kanata off?"

"Maybe try rephrasing that and trying again?" Karin suggested with a smile.

"Okay." Ai cleared her throat. "Timeout so we can move Emma and Kanata?"

Everyone except Emma and Kanata (who, being the subject of the vote, weren't allowed to vote) raised their hand.

Kasumi ran over and kicked Kanata off, making her fall to the floor and wake up. She pulled Emma's chair a few feet back.

"Game on!" Kasumi screeched.

* * *

**3:32 PM**

**12 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- ~~Shizuku~~ \- Rina - Yu - Ayumu**

**Setsuna - Ai - ~~Kanata~~ \- Karin - ~~Emma~~**

* * *

Setsuna was visibly struggling at this point.

"I'm actually pretty surprised I can last this long, y'know?" Ayumu smirked as she stared at Yu.

"I should probably trim my nails." Karin examined her left hand, then showed it to Ai. "What do you think?"

"I mean, are you trying to go for a look with it?" Ai examined her own nails, and compared them with Karin's. "They're pretty long compared to mine. You can trim them if you want."

Setsuna, clearly unsettled by everyone else's chill attitude, blinked. Sighing, she pushed her yen in the middle and left the room. No one noticed her leave.

"Oh, look." Rina pointed at Setsuna's now empty chair. "Setsuna lost."

The game continued normally for a few minutes, until someone knocked at the door.

"Can someone get that?" Emma requested. "I'd go, but I'm preoccupied." Emma gestured to Kanata, who was still asleep on her lap.

"I'll get it!" Shizuku got up, ran to the door (which was right next to her), and opened it.

"Oh, hello."

At the door was Nana Nakagawa, student council president.

"Hi, Nana!" Ayumu waved her over. "We're doing a staring contest! Wanna join in?"

Nana smiled. "Sure." She sat down, pushed her hair back, and joined in.

"You know, you remind me of Setsuna Yuki," Karin remarked. "She's this weird kid, you probably know who I'm talking about."

Nana slowly nodded. "Mhm. Sure. What about her?"

"I've heard a rumor that she's not actually registered as a student," Emma noted. "As if she just walked in at the start of the school year."

"She doesn't even wear her uniform," Rina mentioned. "Yet she still goes to class and acts like everything's normal."

"I don't know if she thinks being a Mary Sue is good, because it's really not," Kasumi opined.

"She's pretty fuckin' weird," Ayumu added. "But anyways-"

"Ooh, Nana, you blinked." Ai pouted. "Sorry."

"Thank god for that," Nana muttered as she got up and left.

Everyone watched as Nana left. She really picked up the pace once she exited the room.

"...We weren't too hard on Setsuna, were we?" Yu asked the others.

"Who cares? She's not here," Kasumi noted.

* * *

**3:37 PM**

**17 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- ~~Shizuku~~ \- Rina - Yu - Ayumu**

**~~Setsuna~~ \- Ai - ~~Kanata~~ \- Karin - ~~Emma~~**

**~~Nana~~ **

* * *

Ayumu's phone rang.

Shit.

Ayumu picked up her phone. "Can we, like, time-out so I-"

Yu shook her head. "Speakerphone."

Ayumu sighed, answered, set it to speakerphone, and put her phone in the middle of the table.

"Hello!" a sort of familiar voice squawked.

"Hi, Chika," Ayumu replied.

"What-" Chika momentarily cut off. "What's this about?"

"We're having an organized staring contest," Yu explained. "If you could turn on your camera, you could join in."

"Okay." After a few short moments, the camera switched on to show Chika in the Aqours clubroom at Uranohoshi.

"Okay. Go." Chika stared.

The game continued silently for a bit.

"...Did you know that you blink to keep dust out of your eyes?" Chika quizzed. "Just asking."

"Nope, not doing it." Ai blinked rapidly, pushed her yen into the middle, and got up. "I value my health and safety more than I do 25,000 yen."

"Your loss, bitch," Karin sneered as she pointed at Ai.

"Hey, what are you doing?" someone on Chika's end called from a distance.

"Staring contest," Chika loudly replied.

"You know that's not good for your eyes, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

A plethora of other voices joined in off-screen.

"What's Chika doing?"

"Staring contest, apparently."

"I hope she wins, zura."

"She won't."

"I hope she blinks."

"Hey, Yoshiko, wha-"

Yoshiko could be seen running behind Chika. She then suddenly pounced and slapped Chika in the back of the head, causing her phone to fall over, the screen pointing downwards. Everything was black.

"What the fuck?!" Chika screeched. She must've then done something to Yoshiko, because a struggle could be heard before everyone else quickly rushed over. Someone turned off Chika's phone, and the call disconnected.

Everyone looked at the phone in silence.

"...You guys have fun!" Karin got up and rubbed her eyes, having wondered about dust mites and bugs for a while.

"Push your yen in the middle," Rina reminded Karin.

"Oh, fuck. I forgot money was at stake." A now-disappointed Karin pushed her yen to the middle of the table.

* * *

**3:42 PM**

**22 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- ~~Shizuku~~ \- Rina - Yu - Ayumu**

**~~Setsuna~~ \- ~~Ai~~ \- ~~Kanata~~ \- ~~Karin~~ \- ~~Emma~~**

**~~Nana~~ \- ~~Chika~~**

* * *

"Can I time-out for a drink of water?" Ayumu requested.

Rina and Yu, being kind, voted in favor of that.

Ayumu reached into her school bag and brought out a clear plastic water bottle. She unscrewed the cap and took a really big sip.

Rina pointed at Ayumu. "Did anyone else see that?"

"See what?" Yu asked.

"She blinked. Did anyone see that?"

The problem was that everyone else was preoccupied with other things. Shizuku was doing homework, Kasumi was on her phone, Setsuna (who had returned earlier) was looking out the window in silence, Emma and Kanata were sleeping (the former apparently sitting up straight while doing so), Karin was doing her makeup, and Ai was-

Oh, wow, Ai was right there, just watching.

"I'm rooting for Rinari," Ai proudly admitted.

"Ai, did you see if Ayumu blinked?" Rina inquired.

"I wouldn't know, but if I asked her, she'd definitely lie." Ai looked closely at Ayumu. "And I can't tell if someone's lying, but you know who can?" Ai got up and attempted to wake Emma.

"...Mmm?" Emma rubbed her eyes as she woke up.

"Emma, didn't you tell us about how you can detect a liar?"

"Ah. Yes." Emma nodded. "Has someone lied?"

Ai pointed at Ayumu.

"Ayumu!" Emma waved at Ayumu. "Bring a chair here!"

Ayumu slid her chair over in front of Emma, who stared at her intently.

"Ayumu."

"Emma."

Emma's eyes began to well up with tears.

"Ayumu, if you lie to me, I'll cry, okay?" Emma's voice sort of shook. "S-so tell me now. Okay?"

Ayumu did not budge, because Emma was clearly trying to trick her. This, of course, was the oldest trick in the book.

This, of course, was followed by Emma suddenly wailing and crying, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"Oh, oh shit, uh-" Ayumu looked around nervously. "You're actually-"

"Mmm?" Kanata slowly woke up. "What's the matter, Emma?"

Emma did not respond, because she was too busy sobbing.

"I-I don't really know what I did wrong," Ayumu stuttered.

Emma kept crying. Kanata dabbed her face with a tissue.

"Oh my god, fuck, okay, fine." Ayumu sighed. "Yeah, I blinked."

Emma brought out a tissue, wiped her tears away, and brought herself back to her cheery attitude within 30 seconds.

"You can go now," Emma beamed with a smile.

Ayumu grumbled as she went back to the table, pushed her yen in the middle, and realized there were only two people left.

Oh boy.

* * *

**3:45 PM**

**25 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- ~~Shizuku~~ \- Rina - Yu - ~~Ayumu~~**

**~~Setsuna~~ \- ~~Ai~~ \- ~~Kanata~~ \- ~~Karin~~ \- ~~Emma~~**

**~~Nana~~ \- ~~Chika~~**

* * *

Everyone had gathered around now.

The game had temporarily been paused to allow Yu to sit opposite of Rina. They were allowed one blink during the pause.

Now the game was back on.

The two of them stared at each other in silence. Shit was unusually tense. Shizuku had to go outside to get some fresh, non-tense air.

"Yu." Rina tapped Yu's shoulder. "Yu. Yu. Yu. Yu. Yu."

"What?" Yu tapped Rina's shoulder in response. "What? What? What? What? What?"

Rina took off her headset.

To absolutely no reactions from the others.

"Wow, I thought this was a big thing for you guys," Ai remarked. "Didn't you guys always want to see under Rina's mask?"

"Ai, we've all seen her face at least ten times before," Setsuna noted. "She's really not that good at hiding it."

Kasumi nodded. "I know that because she's in my class. She takes off the board during tests."

But alas, for during their conversation, Rina had become flustered. She put her board on her face using a strap, wearing it like a mask. Y'know, like she usually does when-

Wait.

Ayumu clapped and pointed at Rina. "You can't do that. We went over that when we started. You lose! You fucking lose! Let's gooo!"

Rina switched her board's emotion to "exasperated" and moved her yen to the middle of the table.

Everyone cheered. The game was over.

* * *

**3:48 PM**

**28 minutes**

**~~Kasumi~~ \- ~~Shizuku~~ \- ~~Rina~~ \- Yu - ~~Ayumu~~**

**~~Setsuna~~ \- ~~Ai~~ \- ~~Kanata~~ \- ~~Karin~~ \- ~~Emma~~**

**~~Nana~~ \- ~~Chika~~**

* * *

The game was over. For some reason, Kasumi threw an open bottle of water into the air to celebrate, and it created a spectacular slip-and-fall hazard.

"Gambling is fun," Shizuku commented. "We should gamble more often."

"Shizuku, that's not the message you should get from these events," Emma clarified.

"But it was fun, and it was gambling," Setsuna protested. "So Shizuku is technically right, Emma."

Everyone was interrupted by Ayumu blasting an airhorn, which is like the city basic bitch version of a whistle.

"As is our tradition during game night, we will now allow one request from the winner," Ayumu formally announced. "Yu Takasaki, what is your request?"

Yu began unbuttoning her shirt.

"Oh no. Doorway. Doorway. Go. Go now."

Everyone rushed out of the room, only peeking inside to see what the fuck Yu was doing.

Yu, who had not blinked since her win, kept her eyes fixed on Ayumu as she undid her last button.

"...Does this bra look okay?"

Dark brown lace. Yu wanted answers.

"Umm..." Ayumu hesitated. Everyone was blushing. It was a mortifying situation to be in.

"...I mean, you seem more like someone who'd wear black lace," Karin commented. "Y'know, to-"

"To match my hair?" Yu gestured to the top of her head.

Karin nodded. "Yeah."

"Sorry for the curiosity, but does it match down there too?" Setsuna pointed at Yu's waist.

Yu nodded. "Yeah. I bought it yesterday as a set. Just asking in case I had to return it."

Yu looked at the others, who were looking back in silence.

"...Yu, you can't return undergarments," Kanata pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Yu seemed unusually confused.

"Ooh! I'll explain." Ai poked out from the other side of the doorway; how she got there, no one knew. "Okay, so I'm not acquainted with retail, but I'm fairly certain that when you return a product, they just repackage and resell it. Got that?"

Yu nodded. Her shirt was still unbuttoned, by the way, so it's not like this was a normal conversation.

"Now, would you repackage and sell a bra and underwear worn for...?"

"Two days."

"...Two days. Would you buy a two-day-old used bra and underwear set, Yu?"

Yu thought for a bit.

"...Depends. Who wore it?"

"Nope." Ai promptly left, bringing Rina with her. Everyone else ran away in different directions, leaving Yu alone in the clubroom as she buttoned her shirt back up.

Rapidly blinking, Yu rubbed her eyes. That staring contest really did a number on her, didn't it?

Noticing that everyone except Shizuku had left their school bags in the clubroom, Yu piled their belongings at the door, in the full knowledge that they would return soon, take their stuff, and quickly leave.

She took her school bag, turned off the light, locked the door, and went home, leaving the 25,000 yen on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bro i wrote this using "anata" then yuu's name was revealed but then it was actually yu and like wow its so weird bro


	2. Ms. Verde's Eighteenth Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin tries to spoil Emma for her birthday, and the others are all too happy to help.

**3:26 PM - Thursday - Nijigasaki Academy - Odaiba, Tokyo**

"You don't have modeling today?"

Karin shook her head as she unbuttoned her school vest. "Off until Monday."

Emma nodded. "Okay. Well, I'll be off now." She adjusted her sun hat and her bag as she turned to face Karin.

"Alright." Karin adjusted Emma's sunhat, raising the brim a bit higher. "Be safe."

Emma grinned. "Yeesh, you don't need to say that every time, y'know? I'm just buying groceries. I'll be safe."

Karin smiled in response as Emma exited their dorm. The door shut and locked with a clack.

Karin sighed as she dropped down onto the couch. She looked at the calendar in the kitchen. Thursday, February 4th.

February 4th, and Karin had done nothing.

The next day would be Emma's birthday. How old would she be? Eighteen? Shit.

No decorations, no plans, nothing. Just the thoughts in her head of what she wanted to do, things she never got around to doing.

Sounds a lot like fic writing, huh? Haha. Yeah.

Karin lay there for a while. Her eyes were shut, but she wasn't sleeping. Thirty minutes passed.

Someone knocked at the door.

Karin didn't answer.

Whoever was at the door knocked again.

Karin looked at the door this time, but still didn't answer.

Now it sounded like multiple people were tapping on the door.

Karin had a good idea of who was at the door. This only encouraged her to not open it.

The people at the door kept tapping. Now they were apparently talking and shouting at the door.

"KARIIIIIN!"

"She's not gonna open, is she?"

"KAAARIIIIIN!"

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up, people live here!"

"Aw. SORRY!"

"Oh my–"

"Okay. Let's go on the assumption that she's dead."

"..."

"She's what?"

Karin, expecting them to start screaming and wailing within the minute, reluctantly got up and opened the door.

Great timing too, because Kasumi was in the middle of breathing in for a really loud screech.

So, uh, outside the room was, from left to right, Yu, Ayumu, Ai, Rina, Setsuna, Kasumi, and Shizuku. So pretty much everyone else, yeah.

"Why are you here?" Karin asked, leaning in the doorway.

Shizuku swung around. "Rina. The thing."

"Oh. Right. Wait here." Rina (without moving away at all, meaning there was no need for her to say "wait here") shuffled through her pocket, brought out a party horn, and blew on it. "Happy birthday."

"It's not my birthday."

"Emma," Rina clarified.

"Oh." Karin looked back at the clock in the dorm. "She's not here right now. You missed her by, like, half an hour."

Everyone except Ai, Setsuna, Ayumu, and Yu groaned. So basically only the first years groaned. Meaning not everyone. Shit!

"Her birthday's tomorrow anyways."

Everyone groaned this time.

"Well, we already made the trip all the way out here from... uh... San Bernardino, so we might as well come over anyways!" Kasumi kindly stated before marching her way into the dorm.

"No no no, get back here." Karin followed Kasumi into the dorm and tugged her away. She turned around to see that everyone else was walking in anyways.

"Hahaha! Kasumin wins again!" Kasumi cheered as Karin let go of her, having given up.

Karin sat on the couch, staring at the others. "What are your objectives here?" she inquired.

"We're waiting for Emma to come back!" Ayumu cheerily explained. She then looked around a bit.

"Wow, this place is bare as shit," Ai remarked the moment Rina ran out of earshot. "What are you planning to do for Emma's birthday?"

Karin sighed and dropped onto the couch. "I dunno, uh, buy her a cake and a gift after school tomorrow?"

"What cake and what gift do you have in mind?" Ai asked rather casually.

Karin couldn't answer.

"Wow! You can't even get your own roommate's birthday party ready?!" Kasumi exclaimed. "That's really fucking pathe–"

Kasumi was cut off by everyone in the room glaring at her. She whimpered and shuffled to a corner.

"Aw man, y'know, this must be especially hard on you," Shizuku noted. "I mean, she's your roommate..."

"Mhm," Karin replied with a nod.

"It's her eighteenth birthday, probably the most important birthday she's had..."

"Mhm."

"It's her first birthday she's had without her family, let alone in a foreign country..."

"Shizuku."

"And, I mean, most importantly, she probably does a lot for you–"

Karin held her hand forth to silence her underclassman. "Yeah. Shizuku. I get it."

Shizuku cocked her head in confusion. "Get what?"

Yu, meanwhile, was staring at the television. But she wasn't watching what was on Fuji TV. She was brainstorming. And in that brainstorm, a bolt of lightning gave the lightbulb electricity, or some shit. I don't know, that sounded better in my head.

"How about we help?" Yu suggested.

Karin furrowed her brow. "Help in what way?"

Yu cleared her throat. "We split into two groups. We go look for a gift, while the others go bake the cake! We'll probably be done by today. You don't need to decorate, right?"

Karin shook her head.

"Good. So yeah! Two groups," Yu clarified. "You, me, Ayumu, and Ai go shopping, while the rest–"

"Woah, woah, wait," Setsuna interjected. "Why do I have to stay here with the first years? Why not you or Ai?"

"Well, Ai's smart and she pairs well with Karin, Ayumu would probably go with us anyways, and I'm making these decisions," Yu explained. "Plus, the first years need supervision. Also, I believe in your cooking skills."

"You do?" Rina asked in a whispery, concerned tone of voice.

Yu turned to face Karin, who was considering the offer on the couch. "Well, Karin?"

It didn't take long for Karin to smile and nod.

"Good! We're going now."

"What?"

Yu, Ayumu, and Ai pulled Karin up by her arms. In mere minutes, they were prepped and heading out the door, Karin reminding the others to not set the dorm on fire or else she'd lock them in. The door locked in Setsuna's face, leaving her to fend for herself.

Setsuna slowly turned to face the trio of hyperactive children before her, each of which were now given full access to an oven, every food item in the dorm, and a variety of kitchen tools. Also, they were all staring at her like lost cats.

"Holy shit," Setsuna muttered. "They can't do this to me."

But they could. And they did.

* * *

"Okay, so, where's Emma right now?"

Karin's eyes scanned the map of Odaiba on Ayumu phone.

"I don't know."

"Well, she's probably somewhere in Odaiba, right?"

Karin thought about it for a second, then nodded.

"Good." Ayumu put her phone back in her pocket and stared out the window. "Then we're probably not going to see her on our trip."

They were on the Yurikamome out of Odaiba. Their destination: the inner city. According to Karin and Ai, inner Tokyo probably sells foreign goods Emma might enjoy.

Things were pretty silent for most of the ride.

"...So, uh, y'know these trains are automated?" Yu said to break the group's silence. "There's no conductor up there."

"Yeah, we know," Ai replied without looking up from her phone. "I've been taking this thing since the 7300 series was the newest."

"Yeah, but did you know this thing has rubber tires instead of rails?" Yu added.

"Yeah," Ayumu replied. "I have a model of a 7000 series. It has the wheels and all."

"Wait, are you guys railfans?" Karin asked with a pinch of concern.

"No," the three others replied simultaneously and immediately.

"Every Japanese person has to own at least one niche model kit," Ayumu explained. "I could care less about trains or subways or whatever the fuck."

"Now arriving at: Takeshiba Station. Takeshiba Station."

"Yeah, that's us, I think," Ai said, looking out the window.

"Is it?" Karin looked out the window as well, seeing no difference between the towering buildings at each station.

"It is. Let's go." Yu led the group out of the train and into the station.

"Say, Karin," Ai started. "How long do you think it takes Emma to do whatever she's doing right now?"

"Getting groceries? Well, she sometimes gets sidetracked, but it usually never takes long. I'd say three hours tops," Karin answered.

Ai nodded. "And how long has it been since she left?"

"Two hours, I think. No, an hour and a half? I don't know."

Ai nodded, then stopped walking with the group. "So doesn't that mean she'll be back at the dorm soon, and when she opens the door, instead of being greeted by you, she'll be greeted by Kasumi destroying the kitchen?"

Karin stopped in her tracks.

"Oh shit."

* * *

Emma looked over her shopping list again.

Chicken thighs, fresh tuna, rice, bell peppers, lettuce, salt...

"Tomatoes... we haven't had pasta in a while," thought Emma.

Dropping a box of penne into her basket, Emma went to the produce section. Someone was restocking the tomatoes. They were all in bunches, wrapped in plastic.

"Y'know, whoever decided to use all this plastic on a few tomatoes really should consider the environment," Emma remarked. "This plastic is just going to end up in a landfill for the rest of time.

"Yeah, but wouldn't that kind of be on the fault of the customer?" the employee responded. "Recycling exists for a reason."

"Ah, but is this recyclable?" Emma asked as she picked up a bunch of tomatoes.

The employee glanced at Emma and yawned. "Touché."

Emma giggled. "Hi, Kanata."

"Hi, Emma," the employee replied.

"I thought you worked as a cashier or stocking shelves," Emma said as she put two bunches of tomatoes into her basket. "Produce?"

"Yeah, I used to stock the fridges," Kanata started as she replaced the tomatoes Emma took. "One day they asked me to stock vegetables, and I guess I did it well, because I got switched to produce the same week. Pay's the same, so it's not like we're buying a new Lexus anytime soon, but it's a lot better than being cold all the time."

Emma gasped. "You can't afford heating? Oh, you poor thing–"

"No, Emma, I mean the fridges."

"Oh." Emma blushed at her mistake.

Kanata's phone rang. She quickly checked. It was Karin.

"Ah, I'll take that quickly." Kanata got up and went to the back of the store. She picked up before it went to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Kanata, are you at work?"

"Yeah, make it quick."

"Are you with Emma right now?"

Kanata looked around and chuckled. "What, do you have a hidden camera here? I was literally talking to her just now."

"Oh. Shit, uh, can you ask her if she wants to spend the night at your place?"

Kanata raised her eyebrow. "What, you want me to sleep with her?" she joked.

"What?! N-no, just ask her to stay over. I need her out of the dorm tonight."

"Why? Did you two have a fight? Oooh, are you cheeeating on her?" Kanata teased.

"We're not even dating! Listen, can you just do this for me? And not tell her I told you to do this?"

Kanata thought for a bit. "...Okay."

"Ah. Good. Thanks, Kanata. Bye."

"Uh, no problem, Karin. Bye."

Karin hung up. Kanata looked around and went back to Emma, who was getting some bell peppers.

"I hear tomorrow's your birthday," Kanata remarked. "Say, do you want to stay over tonight? I assume you've never had a sleepover here in Japan. I guess that's a good way to spend your birthday morning."

"I've never had a sleepover, period!" Emma replied with excitement. "Sure, I'll stay over."

"Alright," Kanata said as she took a peek into Emma's basket. "Peppers, tomatoes, penne... are you looking to make pasta? We have ground beef on sale this week."

"Ah, thank you," Emma replied. "But I'm not looking to add meat to this. Do you know if there's a sale on button mushrooms?"

* * *

"Shizukooooo!" Kasumi shouted from the kitchen.

"God, you don't need to yell, she's right fucking next to you!" Setsuna shouted.

"Yeah?" Shizuku replied from the kitchen.

"How many eggs do I add to this?" Kasumi asked, showing Shizuku the bowl in front of her. There was already an egg in the bowl, and there were three little fragments of the shell in there.

Shizuku shrugged. "I dunno. Two more?"

"Three for good measure," Kasumi said as she cracked another egg.

They were making cheesecake. The regular one, not the Japanese one.

Why weren't they making something like, I dunno, a Swiss roll? Because apparently, that's too complex. And because Swiss rolls didn't originate in Switzerland anyways.

Rina crawled out from under the counter and peeked at the cabinet. "Can I help?" she inquired.

"No," Kasumi responded rather bluntly.

"Why?"

"Because you're too small." Kasumi grabbed Rina's ahoge and tugged it left and right.

"Aw." Rina hung her head low and went to go ask Shizuku if she could do anything for her.

Kasumi, meanwhile, looked over to see Nana just staring at them. Not doing anything. "Freeloader," Kasumi thought.

"Say, Setsuna–" Kasumi started.

"Nana," Nana corrected. "Nana Nakagawa, student council president of the Nijigasaki High Sc–"

"Miss Dissociative-Identity-Disorder, why aren't you helping?"

Nana scoffed and crossed her arms. "Well, I don't exactly know how to bake," she explained. "Setsuna does, though."

"Really?" Kasumi replied in a manner that made it very clear she didn't give a shit.

"Yes. I, Nana, am more conventional in the kitchen, following recipes and being held down by the expectations of my family. Setsuna, on the other hand, has more creativity, imagination, and freedom, as reflected in her adventurous and unique style of cuisine. In fact–"

"Setsunana, in the kindest way possible, please shut the fuck up, for I do not care," Kasumi kindly and formally stated. "Can you help us with this?"

Nana sighed and entered Karin's room. A few minutes later, Setsuna popped out.

"Alright! Let's get baking!" Setsuna shouted. Rina monotonously cheered in response.

"Actually, we're not baking this," Shizuku clarified. "This is the one you put in the fridge and eat cold!"

"Great! Great." Setsuna snapped and pointed at the fridge. "Rina, get the cheese!"

"Okay." Rina ran to the fridge and peeked in. She came out with a small cup of Greek yogurt.

"That's not cheese! Dummy!" Kasumi exclaimed and went forth to bop Rina on the head. Rina, using her short stature, dodged the hit and put the yogurt on the counter.

"Well, it's the closest thing to cheese in the fridge." Rina pointed at the fridge as she dodged another swipe. Setsuna peeked into the fridge.

"Oh shit." Setsuna shut the fridge door and looked at the others in what was probably horror. "There's no cheese."

"Well, that's okay! We can just give her the crust we're supposed to make," Shizuku suggested. She pointed at the bowl Kasumi was attending to, four eggs lying unmixed on the top.

"Yeah!" Kasumi cheered, pausing her attack on Rina. "We can just put berries instead of cheese!"

"No berries either," Setsuna interjected.

"Fuck!"

"Shit, let me go call the others," Setsuna said as she grabbed her phone.

* * *

"What do you mean Emma doesn't need new clothes?"

Ai held the jacket in front of her, expectantly waiting for a comment from Karin.

"Emma doesn't particularly care about high fashion," Karin explained. "She'd rather have a cheap-but-warm department store sweater than a brand-name fancy dress, or whatever. That's a..."

"Supreme × The North Face jacket? She'd love it."

"What does it even say on it?"

"'By Any Means Necessary'. Not sure what that means, but it sounds neat!"

"It's ¥200,000."

"Ai'd love it. Can I try it on?"

Karin sighed as Ai ran into the nearest changing room. If you couldn't tell, they were at one of those high-end clothing stores.

"Okay," Yu started. "So we tried clothing (Emma doesn't care too much), European goods (Emma already has some), beauty products (Emma doesn't use those)... what else?"

"I dunno, wanna just walk around Shibuya like a foreigner and just buy something we deem nice?" Ayumu suggested, having learned a thing or two from her experiences waiting for Yu downtown.

"Good idea, Ayumu! We'll have to act like a foreigner to please a foreigner!" Yu and Ayumu did a high-five, something they, believe it or not, never do.

Ai returned with the jacket (which honestly didn't fit her, both style-wise and size-wise) and a receipt.

Wait, a receipt?

"What the shit? You can afford that?" Karin asked, bewildered by the possibility that Ai, who works at a family-run restaurant that sells cooked watery dough, could afford a ¥200,000 jacket without going bankrupt.

"This jacket here's three months of work plus birthday money," Ai flexed. "I own this now."

"It's too much for you, isn't it?" Ayumu asked, looking at the pricey receipt.

"I'm practically broke now." Ai held her hand out for kind monetary donations from her friends, but got none.

"Alright, shall we go?" Yu suggested.

"We shall! Per usual, please lead me, because I get lost easily," Karin requested as she followed the others out of the store. Hey, at least she was honest.

On the train to Shibuya, Yu's phone rang. It was Setsuna. Yu picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kasumi was on the other side. "Do you mind buying cream cheese—not the spread—raspberries, and chocolate chips? We need it for the cake!"

"The chocolate chips aren't for the cake, are they?" Yu inquired.

"Nope!" Now Shizuku was on the other side. "We all just collectively agreed that we'd eat a whole bag of chocolate chips, because that's fun."

"Does Rina want to speak to Ai?" Yu asked.

"Yes," Rina mumbled on the other end.

Yu handed the phone to Ai. "Hellooo? Rina?" Ai sang to the phone.

"Holy shit, I've tried to call you guys four times!" Now Setsuna was on the other end. "Ayumu, do you have your phone on silent?"

"Yeah," Ayumu answered, now holding the phone.

"Ah, fuck, whatever. Do you guys know we need cream cheese and–"

"Yes, we know," Karin interjected as she took the phone from Ayumu. "Do you need anything else from us?"

Setsuna hung up.

"Well, I guess not then." Karin returned Yu's phone and looked out the window. Ooh, it was getting kind of late.

* * *

Quaint and typical are two words to describe the Konoe household.

A quaint and typical two-story Japanese apartment, the Konoes living on the second floor.

The inside was also quaint and typical. Its small size signaled that they were mid-to-low class, but its cleanliness and on-time rent signaled the Konoes were hardworking.

"And this is home, Em." Kanata spread her arms out as she slid her shoes off. "I wonder where Haruka is..."

Haruka's head popped out of their room. "Right here!"

"Oh! I'm sure you know Haruka, Emma. She's my little sister." Kanata hugged her sister, who I guess sort of hugged her back.

"Hello, Haruka!" Emma greeted as Haruka went to turn on the stove. Haruka just waved with a smile.

"So, sis, what do you think's for dinner?" Kanata asked.

"I don't know," Haruka responded.

"Oh boy." Kanata turned the stove off. "Let's think about it."

Haruka opened the fridge, Kanata opened the pantry, and they both just sat down and stared at them.

"Miso?"

"Omelet rice?"

"Something with fish?"

"Hmmm..."

"Hmmm..."

"How about rosti?" Emma suggested. "It's like a fried potato cake. My siblings back home love rosti with servelat. You have potatoes and sausage. It's better than nothing, right?"

Haruka and Kanata thought about it for a bit.

"I'll cook it!" Haruka declared as she got up. "Kanata, you can do the sausage!"

"But you guys don't know how to make it," Emma reminded.

Haruka stopped in her tracks. "Oh."

Kanata popped up behind her with her phone. "Got a recipe here."

"Okay!" Haruka smiled and got a pan from under the counter.

"Oh, I was sort of expecting to cook it," Emma remarked. "Y'know, to give you guys a break."

"Oh, alright!" Haruka put the pan on the stove and stepped back.

"Oh. Uh, are you sure?" Emma stepped forwards. Haruka and Kanata were staring at her, and she was doing likewise.

"I mean, do you want to?" Kanata inquired. "Because we kind of wanted to cook for you."

Oh boy. They're all too kind.

"Ah, uhm, y'know what? I'll just go do the rooms or whatever, and you guys can cook. How does that sound?" Emma suggested.

"Okay!" Without hesitation, Haruka turned on the stove as Kanata went to go get the potatoes.

* * *

Do you know what sound water makes when it's boiling?

Bl-bl-bl-bl-bl-bl-bl.

"I don't want to put this in. What if I burn myself?" Rina hypothesized, a block of instant noodles in her hands.

"What, have you never done this before?" Shizuku slid her own noodles into the–

Okay, I feel like maybe me saying she slid her noodle into the–

Y'know what? Y'know what? I'm just gonna–

I'm just gonna keep going, okay? I'm gonna reword it... and I'm gonna keep going.

Okay? Okay.

"What, have you never done this before?" Shizuku dropped a block of noodles into the pot.

"I have. It just makes me uneasy. What if I burn myself?" Rina argued.

"It's fine! I'm used to it. Just stick your hand in the water!" Kasumi urged.

"No."

"C'mon."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

The door opened, and Yu, Ayumu, Ai, and Karin entered.

"Did you bring McDonald's?" Kasumi asked immediately.

"No, but we brought Emma's gi–"

Kasumi loudly groaned and threw herself onto the couch. Shizuku got the cake ingredients from Ayumu, while Rina went over to Ai.

"Oh! Rina!" Ai smiled, hugged, and lifted Rina a few inches off the ground. "How was it?"

"Good," Rina replied. "I don't want to burn myself."

"What the fuck, you can carry her?" Karin set the gift's bag on the countertop.

"Uh, yeah, it's called the fact that I exercise." Ai flexed her arm. Rina sort of did the same. "Plus, she's really light. Hold her!"

"Uh, no thanks." Karin held her hand out in front of her.

"C'mon. Try it!" Ai held Rina closer to Karin, who wasn't sure whether Rina was uncomfortable or fine with this.

Setsuna dropped Rina's noodle–

Oh my god.

Setsuna PUT THE INSTANT NOODLES in the pot of boiling water. "We'll do dinner and the cake, you guys go get the beds ready."

Yu, Ai, and Karin went to go get extra futons from the dorm office while Shizuku, Rina, and Kasumi got back to working on the cheesecake. Setsuna was prepping the noodles. She tasted some of the soup, then opened the pantry.

"Shit, no food coloring, brown sugar, tomato soup, or cayenne pepper? What the shit kind of kitchen is this?" Setsuna decided to substitute the food coloring for a grape Fanta. She opened the can, poured the entire thing into the soup, and opened the fridge to look for whatever vegetable she laid her eyes on first.

* * *

Night came and went, and before you knew it, it was February 5th.

Most of the school day for Emma was typical. The morning announcements mentioned her birthday, but that was really it. A few people Emma knew wished her a happy birthday, as did Yu, Shizuku, and Setsuna when she crossed paths with them.

Emma entered the clubroom around 3:10 PM. The time she was born, actually. Crazy.

"Happy birthday!" everyone yelled in some form, Kasumi's having extra vigor and a pinch of aggressiveness.

"Thank you, thank you!" Emma gushed.

Shizuku poured everyone some tea, and they sat down for the usual "birthday eulogy", which was really just a toast, but Yu forgot the word when they came up for it, and it just sort of stuck.

"I'll be the one to say it this time, Yu," Karin declared. She stood up and tapped her cup with a teaspoon.

"Emma Verde, I don't really have much to say; we compliment you a lot already. Other than, of course, two things. One, happy eighteenth birthday, you legal lucky duck. And two..."

Karin knelt down, opened her bag, and brought out a burgundy ring box.

Here's where Emma goes berserk.

Emma started literally screaming as Kanata rushed over to prevent her from fainting and dying. Unfortunately, while Kanata caught her, she still managed to faint, which is great.

"What the fuck?! You're proposing to her?!" Kasumi shrieked. "Holy shit! We call you guys our mom and dad, but we didn't expect you to take it that far!"

"What?! What?! What?!" Setsuna shouted on loop.

"Guys, guys, holy shit, calm down, I'm not proposing to her!" Karin clarified.

No one listened. Even Ai, Yu, and Ayumu, who were literally with her when she bought the ring, were losing it.

Eventually, things calmed down, and they were just waiting for Emma to regain consciousness on the futon.

"I think she's dead. We may have killed her," Ayumu opined, looking around.

"She's not dead. Look, she's waking up." Rina pointed at Emma's eyelashes, which were sort of moving.

Emma slowly opened her eyes to see Karin sitting in front of her, the ring box in her lap.

"Oh... oh... dio mio..." Emma murmured. "I..."

"Emma, I'm not–"

"Y–yes. I do."

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" everyone except Rina and Emma screamed.

"I–I'm not proposing to you, Emma!" Karin stammered. "God, I just got you a ring so you could remember this! Y'know, the idol club! Eighteen years old! Japan!"

"Oh! Oh. Oh." Emma blushed. She covered her face with one hand and took the ring with the other.

It was a small ring, probably the cheapest one available in whatever jewelry store Karin went to. On it was a small emerald. Emma slid the ring onto her left ring finger and examined it.

"I'm sorry about how cheap it is. High school, y'know?" Karin shut the ring box and moved to stand up, but Emma grabbed her hand.

"Ah–" Emma paused. "T–thank you."

Karin nodded and smiled. Emma's hand was very warm and soft. "No problem."

"Aha!" Kasumi walked over with a box she was carrying with Shizuku. "Cake!"

"How nice!" Emma sat up. "You didn't have to."

"We kind of had to." Setsuna helped place the box on the small table in front of the futon. "Go on, open it!"

Emma opened the box. There was nothing in it.

"We left it out overnight by accident," Shizuku kindly informed. "I'm still angry about it."

"Oh. Is it still there?"

"I think so. You should probably throw it out."

Emma nodded. "That doesn't matter." She stretched her arms out. "C'mere. All of you."

"All of us?" Yu pointed at herself and gestured to Ayumu and Ai next to her.

"Yes. All of you." Emma grinned.

Everyone leaned in for a very big ten-person group hug.

"Wow, this is a lot less comfortable than I thought it'd be," Shizuku remarked.

"Yeah, uh, probably because Emma's sitting down." Setsuna coughed for emphasis.

"Sorry!" Emma stood up and they redid the group hug.

They were just kinda there, I guess.

"This is weird," Ayumu noted.

"Boob." Kasumi snickered, a tinge of jealousy in her laugh.

"Stop that," Karin muttered as she flicked Kasumi's head.

Karin and Emma locked eyes. They smiled, thought about it, then decided not to because Karin's four months younger than Emma. Emma pulled Karin in for a closer hug.

"It" was a kiss, by the way, so yeah.

"Help," Rina muffled. "I'm stuck between them."

"Oh!" Karin backed away from Emma, revealing Rina between the two of them.

"I leave everything I own to Ai." Rina coughed a bit and ran to a different position.

"Frankly, I'd pay money to be where Rina was," Yu spoke in a low voice, gesturing to where Rina was.

"Aw shit, horny Yu." Setsuna groaned. "Fuck."

"Okay, but face it."

"..."

"Midriff. Boobs. C'mon."

"...Yeah." Setsuna nodded and looked over. "Yeah."

"We heard all of that," Emma whispered. "You guys are literally right at my ear."

"Fuck," Yu muttered.

"Go find someone nice, Yu," Karin advised.

Everyone stayed in the hug for a short while. It got progressively awkward, believe me.

"Tea's getting cold," Shizuku warned. "We should probably stop."

Everyone except Karin quickly split up at the mention of stopping. They rushed back to the table and sat down like nothing happened.

"We're still waiting for you to finish your birthday eulogy, Karin!" Yu reminded.

"Ah." Karin looked Emma in the eyes and smiled warmly, gently holding Emma's left hand. "And two, here's a ring, from you to me."

"Aw, you didn't need to get me anything." Emma examined her ring again. "Not saying I don't like it, though. Thank you very much, Karin."

"Well shit, cause that was worth all my money," Karin joked. She chuckled just in case Emma thought she was being serious. "Happy birthday, Emma."

"Wow! That was terrible!" Kasumi shouted. "Just awful! I hated experiencing that!"

"Get a room or something!" Ai yelled.

Setsuna loudly whistled, then Ayumu did, then Yu, then pretty much everyone else was at least trying to whistle as Karin and Emma returned to the table.

The tea was room temperature.

It was a good birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started working on this like two months ago then just kind of left it until now
> 
> thats how you win
> 
> mama fuckin mia i put a shit ton of said synonyms i might go back and edit this later

**Author's Note:**

> it gets worse. stick around for the next chapter of "funny" odaiba "fic"


End file.
